"If PCB wanted me to play then they could have made it happen" : Saeed Ajmal

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"If PCB wanted me to play then they could have made it happen" : Saeed Ajmal

KARACHI: Spin legend Saeed Ajmal officially announced his retirement from all forms of cricket on Wednesday, bringing down the curtain on a career that saw the highest of highs before ending in relative doldrums due to problems with his bowling actions.

Having been banned in 2014 from bowling in international cricket, Ajmal tried mounting several comebacks but says the Pakistan Cricket Board’s (PCB) lukewarm interest in him left him with no option but to end his playing career and embark on a new journey.

“I tried a lot,” he told The Express Tribune. “The PCB helped me somewhere and somewhere they didn’t. If they wanted me to play they could have made it happen. So I decided to retire on a positive note after leading my team Faisalabad in the National T20 Cup.”

Despite a forgettable tail end to his playing career, Ajmal says he is content with what he achieved and now wants to help cultivate young talent with his expertise.

“I played enough and achieved even more than I had expected at the start of my career,” he said. “I am thankful to all the fans, friends and coaches who helped me achieve what I did in my nine years of international cricket and now I plan on using my experience to make more brilliant off-spinners for Pakistan.”

While that remains a long-term plan, Ajmal says his immediate task is to develop a bio-mechanics lab at his academy and help those who have problems in their bowling actions — a problem he knows a thing or two about.

“I will be setting up a lab at my academy in Faisalabad and want to help those who have been out for suspected bowling action,” he said. “PCB doesn’t do much in this regard, like they didn’t for me, so I want to give hope to players and tell them that they can come back.”

Ajmal, who has been appointed the bowling coach of PSL franchise Islamabad United, continued: “I also want to help up and coming off-spinners and even others who want to correct their actions. I am in talks with an English coach who has worked with the ICC. I want him to work here with banned players in Pakistan so they can be available for Pakistan team again.”

Unlike most others, Ajmal was a notable late bloomer, starting his career in 1991 but making his Pakistan debut at the ripe old age of 31 against India — a career route he had never even envisaged himself.

“When I began playing cricket in 1991 I had never thought I will be representing Pakistan one day,” he said. “I just had the passion to play cricket like every other youngster has in Pakistan. But after performing in domestic cricket gradually, I realised that I have a decent chance of representing the national team. And, of course, playing against India was a dream debut.”

While he may have been a late entrant to international arena, his age became a nonfactor as he quickly bamboozled batsmen after batsman, soon becoming the quickest Pakistani to 100 career Test wickets in just his 20th match.

Such an unexpected ascent surprised Ajmal himself who admitted: “I never in my wildest dreams had thought that after making my debut so late I will be able to take so many wickets. Nut it was my hard work that helped me gain what I did. Me being the only cricketer in my family probably motivated me to do more and more.”

The highest point of Ajmal’s career came in 2011 when he became the number one ODI bowler in ICC rankings. Reflecting back, he says that feat was made possible by his insatiable desire to better his personal bests.

“I just wanted to do well for the team and just do better and better,” he recalled. “When I achieved the milestone of taking 100 wickets in 20 matches, I could’ve relaxed but I didn’t. I wanted more and more.”

Don't agree with him on everything he said. I think PCB invested a lot in him to get his action correct in late 2014 and early 2015. But otherwise, good comments from him. Even now he is a pretty good LOI offspinner, probably the second best after Bilal Asif which shows how thin our off spinner pools are.

What a joke...PCB spend so much on him and send him to tests
Appointed Saqlain to rectify his action..
His anger is just due to the PCB not selecting him post 2015 which was completely justified since he was no longer effective.

Off-spinner Saeed Ajmal, while formally announcing his retirement from all forms of cricket on Wednesday, complained that the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) had not fought his case well enough with the International Cricket Council (ICC) after he was suspended for having a questionable bowling action.

“PCB helped me in my career; but I am sorry to say that they did not fight my case well with the ICC when they suspended me,” Ajmal said while addressing a press conference.

Ajmal said that he believed the PCB should raise the matter of bowling actions with the ICC as Pakistan does not have many off-spinners left now.

Ajmal’s cricketing career ended with a defeat as Faisalabad — the team he represents in the domestic circuit — was defeated by Lahore Whites in the semi-final of the National T20 series on Wednesday.

The off-spinner performed well in the last outing of his career and conceded just 13 runs in his four overs while securing Raza Ali Dar’s all-important wicket.

At end of the match, players from both the teams lined up to bid farewell to the star off-spinner.

With tears in his eyes, Ajmal thanked his parents, wife and friends for supporting him throughout his career.

“I thank the PCB, my Club and the Faisalabad region for their support and encouragement throughout my career,” Ajmal said during his press conference.

Lost all my respect after such statements...the PCB invested so much on him and he makes such idiotic statements..my dear Ajmal who payed you to go for re test and appointed Saqlain separately for the sole purpose to rectify your action.

Saeed Ajmal fought back the tears following his final game of professional cricket on Wednesday.

The 40-year-old former Pakistan spinner called time on his long and distinguished career after Faisalabad's National T20 Cup loss to Lahore Whites.

"It's been 25 years, my love for cricket, so when you retire you do get emotional," said Ajmal.

"I am retiring with a heavy heart, but I am satisfied with my career. Although I am retiring from international and domestic cricket, I want to stay in touch with cricket through my cricket academy and want to contribute for the country.

"Whatever I have done in my career, I am absolutely happy and proud. I came into the national team after the age of 30 and have done great things for Pakistan.

"What I have done, many take over 20 years to achieve. Therefore I have achieved everything in my career, but I wish my last match could have been in international cricket.

"However, I am still happy and thank you to every single person who has supported me through my ups and downs."

The veteran took 178 Test wickets in 35 matches at an average of 28.10 and 184 one-day international scalps in 113 games at 22.72 apiece.

He also turned out for Pakistan 64 times in the shortest format, claiming 85 victims at an average of 17.83.

Ajmal was banned from bowling in 2014 due to an illegal action and was unable to return to the peak of his powers after remodelling his delivery.

Like i've said before, his achievements mean zilch to me. Any half competent off spinner bending their elbow beyond 45 degrees would have produced the same results as Ajmal. Bending your elbow by that margin gives you an unfair advantage many things i.e - maintaining your line and length, revs on the ball, vicious doosra and greater variations in pace.

Having said that he was a great character and unfair to call him a cheat since ICC allowed him to bowl for that long.

His frustrations while understandable may not be agreeable with regards to the PCB. No one can really understand what it is like for him, from being the no 1 bowler in ODI/T-20 Cricket, being highly demanded in T-20 leagues around the world to being nothing in an instance. Anyone would lose it mentally and emotionally in those circumstances therefore his frustration is understandable.

Like i've said before, his achievements mean zilch to me. Any half competent off spinner bending their elbow beyond 45 degrees would have produced the same results as Ajmal. Bending your elbow by that margin gives you an unfair advantage many things i.e - maintaining your line and length, revs on the ball, vicious doosra and greater variations in pace.

Having said that he was a great character and unfair to call him a cheat since ICC allowed him to bowl for that long.

Extremely ignorant comment, I challenge you to bowl with 45 degrees and achieve the same results as Ajmal in international cricket.

I've seen many riches to rags stories, this has got to be right up there as one of the worst I've seen, in an instant from a hero he became zero.

I watched a few of his clips, the body language that Saeed had as a bowler in his prime was a man who could bamboozle the world, the world was at his feet, all the biggest batsmen in the world feared him. There were plans to tackle him, adjust to him, take on the other bowlers because they knew they can't get him away.

The man was a box of tricks, everyone admired the skill of his art.

Psychologically to have all that and come crashing down to being nothing...

He still has some level of denial intact judging by his interviews, situation of a man who is still trying to say he never lost it.

Maybe a therapist might help get him to vent out all his frustrations without the media seeing his ugly side, make him accept the fact that this is what he is as a person now, he shouldn't have to justify to the world, he doesn't need to give any justifications

All this might hurt him alot and it is very painful to see Ajmal in tears.

More hurtful might be for him is a blanket ban on Ajmal from the PCB, it was something of a face saving from the board after they find out there was no defence for Ajmal's impotence as a bowler within limitations, maybe they believed he was everything he claimed to be because of chucking. So they permanently removed him from Cental contracts. It happened so swiftly and the matters would put to bed so fast.

Ajmal also has to realize that everything has to come to an end, and though some players have amicable endings to their playing careers, they do come to an end as well.

He will just have to adjust to the way things are now, this world is a very cruel place, when you are successful, everyone will be around you, everyone will be your friend, they will show interest in you, admire your ability, laugh at your jokes. But as soon as you are not the shining light you once were, they will abandon you. Its just the way things are.

Keep your chin up champ, enjoy the good moments life and try to remember you brought alot of smiles on alot of faces for a very long time while you were around.

I've seen many riches to rags stories, this has got to be right up there as one of the worst I've seen, in an instant from a hero he became zero.

I watched a few of his clips, the body language that Saeed had as a bowler in his prime was a man who could bamboozle the world, the world was at his feet, all the biggest batsmen in the world feared him. There were plans to tackle him, adjust to him, take on the other bowlers because they knew they can't get him away.

The man was a box of tricks, everyone admired the skill of his art.

Psychologically to have all that and come crashing down to being nothing...

He still has some level of denial intact judging by his interviews, situation of a man who is still trying to say he never lost it.

Maybe a therapist might help get him to vent out all his frustrations without the media seeing his ugly side, make him accept the fact that this is what he is as a person now, he shouldn't have to justify to the world, he doesn't need to give any justifications

All this might hurt him alot and it is very painful to see Ajmal in tears.

More hurtful might be for him is a blanket ban on Ajmal from the PCB, it was something of a face saving from the board after they find out there was no defence for Ajmal's impotence as a bowler within limitations, maybe they believed he was everything he claimed to be because of chucking. So they permanently removed him from Cental contracts. It happened so swiftly and the matters would put to bed so fast.

Ajmal also has to realize that everything has to come to an end, and though some players have amicable endings to their playing careers, they do come to an end as well.

He will just have to adjust to the way things are now, this world is a very cruel place, when you are successful, everyone will be around you, everyone will be your friend, they will show interest in you, admire your ability, laugh at your jokes. But as soon as you are not the shining light you once were, they will abandon you. Its just the way things are.

Keep your chin up champ, enjoy the good moments life and try to remember you brought alot of smiles on alot of faces for a very long time while you were around.

While this is a good post not just about Ajmal but everything in life, you have to give full marks to Saeed Ajmal for still being as dignified as possible. He has the right to his opinion and it is not as if he is totally wrong with regards to the ICC witch hunt against Pakistani bowlers and preferential treatment given to the likes of Harbhajan, Ashwin e.t.c.

The guy has simply moved on and he is now looking ahead to contribute to Pakistan Cricket via his academy, via looking to get into coaching and trying to contribute to Pakistan Cricket in the future.

My cricketing career has come to end yesterday but my life is blessed with your love, care, respect, and prays, I Want to thank to my family, friends, fellow Cricketers, coaches, pcb and all who helped me to achieve the highest rank in the game we all love. Thank you so much pic.twitter.com/2HoNUZVoEn

Yes, the fact that he was not good enough was PCB's undoing. They spent millions to fix his action and got ripped off by Saqlain, and they immediately brought him back into the fold as soon as he was ready. In addition, he also got two play two seasons of the PSL in spite of the fact that he was not capable of playing at that level anymore.

Yes, the fact that he was not good enough was PCB's undoing. They spent millions to fix his action and got ripped off by Saqlain, and they immediately brought him back into the fold as soon as he was ready. In addition, he also got two play two seasons of the PSL in spite of the fact that he was not capable of playing at that level anymore.

His victim mentality is incredible.

Him playing for the PSL is the Franchises decision not the PCB's so he has nothing to thank the PCB for there. His depression and frustration is understandable even if not agreeable.

Yes, the fact that he was not good enough was PCB's undoing. They spent millions to fix his action and got ripped off by Saqlain, and they immediately brought him back into the fold as soon as he was ready. In addition, he also got two play two seasons of the PSL in spite of the fact that he was not capable of playing at that level anymore.

Him playing for the PSL is the Franchises decision not the PCB's so he has nothing to thank the PCB for there. His depression and frustration is understandable even if not agreeable.

I am not saying it was the PCB's decision. It was a passing comment to state that he has been given enough chances to prove his worth. He has received favorable treatment for all quarters but seems unwilling to take any responsibility for the fact that his a bog average 'bowler'.

I am not saying it was the PCB's decision. It was a passing comment to state that he has been given enough chances to prove his worth. He has received favorable treatment for all quarters but seems unwilling to take any responsibility for the fact that his a bog average 'bowler'.

Like i said his frustrations while understandable may not be agreeable. And yes Ajmal was past his prime too in the last few years.

He needs to stop being so bitter and playing the victim. PCB hired Saqlain to help him so he can't complain about not being supported. Furthmore he was selected as soon as his action was clear and he was hammered by Bangladesh. With a legal action he was proven to be a average bowler so of course he wasn't going to be selected again.

I think Saqlain did what he could. You cannot retrain a 37-38 year old spinner and make him world class with a new action. That is never going to happen. Ajmal had bowled with a certain action all through his career and the changed action did not help him and he was nowhere near his best. PCB obviously could not play him and with the rise of Yasir Shah in tests, Ajmal's stocks went down further.

Extremely ignorant comment, I challenge you to bowl with 45 degrees and achieve the same results as Ajmal in international cricket.

If you refer to my post again which was only a few lines, i did mention a fairly competent spinner with solid fundaments of off spinning would bolster his skills by some margin if he was to bend his elbow beyond 45 degrees. Hence, not sure why you're challenging an IT tech like me to bowl better than him. If you can put your emotions aside for Ajmal and think rationally of the great advantage Ajmal had compared to his competition, it shouldn't take a rocket scientist to know his success was mainly due to his action. This was evident when he was selected after the ban but was merely a passenger in the side and had no venom in any of his deliveries with the remodelled action.

Do you deny that bending your elbow by as much as Ajmal did does not give you an advantage in your accuracy? pace? revs on the ball? doosra? stock delivery? or his mystery deliver "teesra"? It is pretty simple, more you bend your elbow the easier it will get.

To reiterate, i don't call him a cheat since ICC allowed this. There are talks of him reverting to his old action in some domestic matches after going for plenty but i haven't seen those footages.

If you refer to my post again which was only a few lines, i did mention a fairly competent spinner with solid fundaments of off spinning would bolster his skills by some margin if he was to bend his elbow beyond 45 degrees. Hence, not sure why you're challenging an IT tech like me to bowl better than him. If you can put your emotions aside for Ajmal and think rationally of the great advantage Ajmal had compared to his competition, it shouldn't take a rocket scientist to know his success was mainly due to his action. This was evident when he was selected after the ban but was merely a passenger in the side and had no venom in any of his deliveries with the remodelled action.

Do you deny that bending your elbow by as much as Ajmal did does not give you an advantage in your accuracy? pace? revs on the ball? doosra? stock delivery? or his mystery deliver "teesra"? It is pretty simple, more you bend your elbow the easier it will get.

To reiterate, i don't call him a cheat since ICC allowed this. There are talks of him reverting to his old action in some domestic matches after going for plenty but i haven't seen those footages.

Quality players like Devilliers, Sangakarra, Kohli and co still played Ajmal with ease inspite of his bent elbow. Quality players will shine and the poor average players won't.

Not everyone who can bent his arm or go beyond 45 degrees can achieve the same success as Ajmal.

I think Saqlain did what he could. You cannot retrain a 37-38 year old spinner and make him world class with a new action. That is never going to happen. Ajmal had bowled with a certain action all through his career and the changed action did not help him and he was nowhere near his best. PCB obviously could not play him and with the rise of Yasir Shah in tests, Ajmal's stocks went down further.

Saqlain's job was to make Ajmal pass the bowling test and get him to bowl within 15 degrees and he did. Saqlain did his job. His job was not to make Ajmal world class again with the new bowling action, that was Ajmal's responsibility.